PRESTON MOUNTAINEERING CLUB (Affiliated to the BMC) _____________________________________________________________ THE NEWSLETTER January 2008 www.climbpreston.co.uk The President’s Bit With this issue you will find: Welcome to a new year, hopefully a successful one for the Club. Another year has flown by, • Meet reports: and for me, this will be my last as President. Of o Langdale course, this year will be the Club’s 75th o Coniston anniversary – more later on some of the o Mid week walking programme proposed celebrations. I hope it will be an active year for everybody, whether that be • 75th Anniversary rock challenge walking or climbing. I know it should be for me • 2008 Meets Card and Mike & Laura as the three of us are going • Amended club rules on an organised expedition to Bolivia with the aim of climbing several peaks, the highest have this strange view that winter climbing nearly 6500m! So if you don’t see us on as should be white with snow… probably why many meets as usual this year, that may well Mick gets so much more done than me! Mind be the reason. you, we recently managed a trip to Cairngorm. The past year has generally been quite a The AGM was a great success, in the venue, positive one for the club, despite several the turnout and the activities… Although the members not renewing their membership last weather was poor, we had members mountain year, with increased participation in meets and biking in the forest both days and walking on the Club gaining many new active members. the Sunday. Our guest Angela Soper The sad part was the loss of three long- entertained us with a well judged after dinner standing members; early in the year, Pete speech and the obligatory wind-ups. Mike and I Garratt and past president Joe Renwick and received some rather silly and very unusual more recently another past president, Jill hats – mine was a phenomenally warm Aldersley. An obituary for Jill appears later in Mongolian design visible in one of the the newsletter. photographs on the website. Whilst on the subject of photos, are you in any of them? As I write this, the country and Lancashire too Have a look in the Summer Meets section of is in the middle of a cold spell – Mick has the photo-albums [thanks to Graham Winfield already been out and climbed Lakeland ice! for these – the Gallery now includes many from Well, I suspect it was really just frozen turf. I the midweek walking group meets too]. Preston Mountaineering Club On the subject of venue, the committee will The monthly meets format is, I think, proving a look at the feedback we’ve received from you success and meets were well attended and and come to a decision at its next meeting on equally importantly, very sociable. Ian and I where to hold this year’s AGM. have even revived the Climbing at West View, although on a Thursday at 6pm not Tuesday at As I mentioned above, next year will be the 8 as before, and we now have between four 75th anniversary of the founding of the Club. and ten members here every week. And we’ve Several ideas are in the pipeline to celebrate been joined by some prospective members as this august birthday. Laura’s will shortly well. complete her magnum opus on the history of the Club. This will be available for us all to read The AGM went extremely well this year and by the next AGM. Keith is in the early stages of the venue seemed to please most people. planning a multi-day walk from Preston to the Certainly the shorter commute to Stephen Park Old Man of Coniston. Given our historical links resulted in the arrival of a few faces not seen in to Coniston, and it is 75 miles from Preston, it recent years. The committee has altered will be a fitting final destination. The plan is that slightly as Neil Marsh and partner Gina felt that you could do the whole walk, or just parts of it, they could not give their best to the club owing but it would be great to get as many on the to other commitments. My thanks for their summit as possible. And finally, there is the efforts in the past and particularly for 2006. 75th anniversary rock challenge – can we They are replaced by Pam Crookston and between us ascend 75 of the PMC first Trevor Steele. ascents? Can anyone do 75 individually? To help, a tick list is being circulated in this The other important bits resulting from the newsletter. Inevitably, there will be routes meeting are a rising of the subs generally to missing - if you know of one (even one of your cover BMC, postage and other increasing own!), let us know and we’ll update the list. costs with a rule change to require them to be However, I don’t mean those route variations paid by the end of January. This is important where you got lost… I’ve many of those! as the BMC costs are on the up again and we normally take a guess at the numbers we pay To conclude, all the best for the new year. for, often overpaying. With the subs paid by Happy mountaineering in all its guises. January we will know exactly how much to pay. Ian A further amendment was put forward to levy a one pound admin charge on subs paid after The Secretary’s Bit January to cover reminder costs etc. Everyone thought this was reasonable so it passed. Indeed ‘Tempus’ has once again ‘Fugit’ and I stand at the dread portal that is 2008 reflecting Roger gave a report on his progress with the on the year past, and a pretty good year it has BMC, Plas Y Brenin and West View regarding been. We have welcomed several new cooperation between ourselves and these members into the ranks with the latest recruits bodies to help young climbers make the move being’ Kiwi’ Bill Wiseman who is not at all from indoor walls to the crags and give the club antipodean, and Colin Ross, owner of the new a higher profile at the same time, with the idea PMC mobile catering van. Colin still believes of fostering a future young membership. The that it’s a camper van that he owns but after signs are promising and meetings are ongoing. the 29th member knocks at the side window Someone proposed beer and the rest as they demanding, say ‘was history’. ‘tea and a bacon buttie if you’d be so kind’ Following a very fine three course dinner with coffee and mints there was the traditional I think he’ll get the gist. presidential address and guest speaker, 2 January 2008 Newsletter Angela Soper to whom Ian has already Hut bookings in 2008 referred. As announced at the AGM, all future hut The PMC cup went to Mick Cottam this year bookings will have to be accompanied by full as despite other worthy contenders it is hard to payment of hut fees. Most clubs who allow us beat a Himalayan first ascent as a winning to use their huts are now asking for payment effort. up front. This is due to the fact that some clubs (not PMC I might add) book the whole place After dinner there were slide shows from Mick then only use a small number of places and and Angela, prizes awarded for the dinnertime even with a ‘pay for what you book’ rule in quiz, raffle draws and when all were suitably place, they are finding they cannot get lubricated, the grand Horsey (Space) Hopper payment. So now you only get the key once Derby. My knee still gives me gyp after falling you’ve paid the fees! If you pay for a place and at the third! Speaking of lubrication, members then cannot make it you will get a refund only if were still going strongly enough that the we can ‘sell’ the place to another. Sorry it reserve beer had to be called upon, nice to see seems a bit harsh, but we did have two ‘no a return to traditional values there. shows’ at Langdale and are still trying to extract the cash from an unnamed person! We have sent out a questionnaire to help and guide the committee for 2008. Most are back in Blackrock Cottage on the Glencoe Meet is fully but I noticed on a quick glance through that booked and has a ‘waiting list’. The nearest venue, dinner etc get ratings that vary; the one accommodation is either at the Kingshouse consistent theme is that the beer from Bowland (bunkhouse), Glencoe YHA or one of the two Brewery scored a consistently high mark. bunkhouses at Bridge of Orchy. Sorry, but no Proving that you can please all the people all camping is allowed in the vicinity of the hut. It the time! seems OK, however, to sleep overnight up at the Ski Centre car-park up the road! The following day after a fine breakfast and Laura despite damp weather, a gentle walk was essayed by a large group of die hard revellers who reported being mown down by a small Website www.climbpreston.co.uk group of manically grinning mountain bikers some of who’s faces appeared strangely Please visit the PMC website – the photo familiar. gallery is added to whenever I receive new pictures. If you have a photograph you would My thanks to all who helped make the event a like to add to the Gallery, then please either success and especially Treasurer Bill who email Ian Bradley an electronic copy or mail drove miles begging or borrowing prizes from the original.